Coke oven charging lorry



May 2,1944. OTTO 2,347,964

COKE OVEN CHARGING LORRY Filed Nov. 27, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR C421 OTTO ATTORNEY May 2, 1944. Q T 2,347,964

COKE OVEN CHARGING LORRY Filed Nov. 27, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 642A OTTO ATTORNEY May 2, c OTTO COKE OVEN CHARGING LORRY Filed Nov. 27. 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR C4124 OTTO 8' v I ATTORNEY Patented May 2, 1944 COKE OVEN CHARGING LORRY Carl Otto, Manhasset, N. -Y., assignor to Fuel Refining Corporation, Dover, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application November 27, 1940, Serial No. 367,349

16 Claims.

. The general object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for charging coal into the coking chambers of a horizontalcoke oven battery of the type in which practically all metallurgical coke is now produced. A horizontal coke oven battery of a type comprising a multiplicity of side by side'coking chambers extending transversely of the battery from one side to the other, and alternating along the length of the battery with oven heating walls. Each coking chamber of such a battery may be somewhat over forty feet in length, twelve to fifteen feet high, and may have a width ordinarily varying between twelve and eighteen inches.

Customarily, each coking chamber is provided with a plurality, quite frequently three, four, or

five, charging holes in its roof, suitably spaced along the length of the coking chamber and normally closed by covers which are removed to permit the oven chamber to be charged with coal preparatory to each coking operation. The coal charged into the oven is in a granular form and comprises particles of varying sizes. Customarily, from seventy to ninety per cent of the coal will pass through a one-eighth inch mesh screen, and some of .the coal will pass through a much finer screen.

The usual oven charging apparatus comprises a lorry car running on track rails which are mounted on the top of the battery and extend longitudinally thereof. customarily each lorry car includes as many hoppers as there are charging holes in the roof of a single oven chamber, each hopper having a charging spout and being so disposed that in the charging operation it will discharge coal through its spout into the corresponding charging hole. Heretofore, it has been customary to put a pre-determined amount oi coal into each of the plurality of hoppers of the charging lorry, preparatory to each oven-charging operation. The relative amounts are proportioned with the idea of filling, with suitable uniformity, the difierent portions of the coking chamber receiving coal through the different charging. holes.

In practice, it has heretofore been customary to allow the coal to pass out of each lorry hopper into the corresponding charging hole under the unaided action of gravity. While with suitably proportioned charging apparatus it would seem reasonable to expect that coal would be discharged at suitably proportioned rates into each oven through its individual charging holes. in practice it has been usual for some of the hoppers to discharge more rapidly than others. The

variation in the discharge rates of the difierent hoppers is especially pronounced in charging wet Washed coal. In consequence, during the charging operation, the coal piles up beneath the oven-charging holes in inclined masses of varying heights. The pile beneath each hopper which discharges at a relatively slow rate, is initially lower, and tends to be eventually higher, than the pile beneath a hopper discharging at a more rapid rate. v

The variations in the rates at which coal is passed into an oven through its different charging holes gives rise to ill effects which it is the specific object of the present invention to eliminate.

Non-uniformity in the rates of charging through the different charging holes has the important disadvantage of producing an objectionable non-uniformity in the granular composition or structure of the charged mass, as a result of the tendency of the coarser particles of coal to move faster and farther, than do finer particles, down the oppositely inclined sides of the coal pile which builds up'beneath each charging hole. When the rates of charging through the difierent charging holes are suitably uniform, the bottoms of the valleys at each side of each pile beneath a charging hole may all be at the same level in all stages of the charging operation. In consequence, the coarser coal particles which constantly pass to the bottoms of the valleys, form vertical strata in the finished charge which alternate with vertical strata of finer coal.

I have discovered that a stratum including the coarser coal particles require more heat to effect its carbonation than is required to carbonize a stratum of similar form and volume but com- I prising coal particles of smaller average size.

In an oven such as an under fired hairpin oven in which the heating effects of the difi'erent vertical fiues may be accurately proportioned as desired, the difierent carbonizing heat requirements of vertical strata of coal particles of different average size may be readily taken care of. .That is not possible in the case of an oven in which the rates of charging through the different charging holes are not suitably proportioned, since in such ovens coal particles of different average sizes will segregate more or less in portions of thecharge irregularly distributed vertically as well as horizontally throughout the charge. The tendency of the coal passing into the oven from hoppers discharging at uneven rates to form piles of uneven heights, tends to increase the magnitude of the charge leveling operation required, and may require two or three levelingoperations for each oven-charging operation, whereas when coal is charged through each charging hole at a suitable pre-determined rate, as is made possible by the use of the present invention, a single leveling operation at the end of the oven charging operation may be sufficient.

In accordance with the present invention I provide each lorry hopperwith a separate vibratory discharger adapted to discharge coal from the hopper at a rate which is regulable, and which .can be accurately pre-determined, and which is substantially uniform regardless of how little or how much coal is held in the hopper. Each of the vibratory hopper dischargers includes a trough-like member which is disposed in a generally horizontal manner, and which extends beneath a suitably large bottom opening of the hopper individually serving it, and each trough has an open end which can be suitably positioned above the corresponding charging hole. Advantageously, the vibrator discharger includes an electro-magnetic vibrator mechanism of well known type giving the trough member vibratory impulses comprising both vertical components and horizontal components, the latter being in the general direction of the length of the trough.

When the lorry hoppers are thus equipped with vibratory dischargers, it is practically possible to increase the horizontal dimensions of the hoppers in the direction of the length of the battery, thus reducing the lorry head room required in some cases, and in other cases making it possible to increase the size of the lorry hoppers so that they may collectively hold sufficient coal at one time to charge two ovens, which may be a practical advantage, particularly when three or four good size batteries are being served by lorries receiving coal from a common over-hea coal bin or bunker.

The fact that the vibrators are adapted to move the coal horizontally, makes it practically feasible to elongate the horizontally disposed discharge trough so that the hoppers may be bodily displaced entirely to one side of the row of charging holes into which they are discharging coal. This makes it practically feasible to provide the lorry car with stand-pipes extending upward from the difierent charging holes through which the smoke or gases evolved during the charging operation may be discharged into the atmosphere at a level suitably above the top of the battery, or in which those gases-may be burned when it is desirable to avoid atmospheric pollution.

The various features ofnovelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, its advan-' tages, and specific objects attained with its use,

reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter inwhich-I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a coal charging lorry with the roof portion of a subjacent coke oven battery shown in transverse section;

Fig. 2 is an elevation taken at right angles to Fig. 1 and on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a partial section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and on a larger scale;

top of the battery.

Figs. 4 and 5 are partial sections taken similarly to Fig. 3 and each showing a ifferent modification;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation illustrating an oven charge stratification;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic elevation illustrating a coal lorry hopper modification; and

Fig. 8 illustrates a stand pipe having special gas burning provisions.

In the drawings, and referring first to the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, A represents a horizontal coke oven battery structure with four distributed charging holes A formed in the top wall of each coking chamber. Mounted on top of the battery structure are the usual lorry car track rails B extending longitudinally of the battery and engaged by the flanged wheels 0' of the lorry car C. The latter comprises a plurality of hoppers D, one adapted to discharge coal into each coking chamber through a corresponding one of its charging holes A. As shown, the lower portion of each hopper is tapered, diminishing in cross section as it approaches the The lower end of each hopper terminates in an outlet D which, for the purposes of the present invention, ordinarily is horizontally elongated in the direction of the length of the battery, as shown.

Associated with the lower end of each hopper is a corresponding vibratory discharger E. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, each discharger comprises a discharge trough E which is generally horizontal. As shown in Figs. -1, 2, and 3, the trough E is inclined slightly to the horizontal, and has its open discharge end W lower than its closed end B. The wall of the corresponding hopper outlet D extends down into the trough member E, but terminates appreciably above the bottom wall of the latter.

The discharger E is resiliently supported. As shown, each discharger is suspended from the corresponding hopper D through four suspension elements F, each of which, as shown, includes a tension spring link F and a turnbuckle F, through which the effective length of the suspension element may be varied. As shown, two of the suspension elements F are connected at their lower ends to the trough member E adjacent the discharge end of the latter, and the other two suspension elements F are connected at their lower ends to the frame of the power, or motor, element G of the discharger. said frame being rigidly connected to the trough portion of the discharger.

In the preferred practical form illustrated, the power, or motor, element G of each vibratory discharger E, is of a well known type comprising a plurality of stiff metal springs or vibrator bars G clamped at their ends in the frame of the element, and having their central portions connected through a suitable yoke or clamp structure to an armature G The latter is attracted, and the spring bars G are thereby deflected, by the energization of an electro-magnet G The energizing current for each electro-magnet may be alternating current, or may be a pulsating current comprising alternating current and direct current components. In general, the discharger vibration frequently will be double the alternating current frequency if the magnet G is energized by alternating current, and will be the same as the alternating current frequency if the magnet G is energized by a pulsating or mixed current comprising both alternating and direct current constituents.

to accurately regulate-the relative rates of The eifective discharge capacity of the vibrator may be varied by varying the strength of the current energizing its magnet (3 In the arrangement shown, the control cab C of the lorry car includes a separate current regulating controller (3 for each of the power elements of the hopper dischargers. By relative adjustment of the different controllers d, it is thus possible discharge from the difierent hoppers.

A supplemental regulation of the rate of discharge from each hopper may be effected by adjusting a suitable discharge restricting element. Thus, a gate member H is shown in Fig. 3 extending down into the trough E adjacent the dis charge end of the latter to a distance which may be varied by rotation of the horizontal shaft H by which the gate H is supported. In the arrangement shown, the gates H for the two hoppers D at each side of the cab'C are carried by the same shaft H, which extends into the cab and is provided therein with an operating arm H, by which the shaft H may be adjusted into, and secured in,

any desired angular position. Each gate H may thus be adjusted to regulate the thickness of the stream of coal flowing under the gate while the discharger'is being vibrated. Through a considerable range an adjustment of the gate to increase or decrease the thickness of the coal stream, respectively increases ordecreases the rate at which coal is discharged. By turning the gate down into engagement with the bottom wall of the corresponding trough E mechanical vibration to which the discharger is subjected as the lorry car is being moved along the rails B, may be prevented from causing coal to be discharged by the discharger.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the lorry car supports a vertical stand-pipe I alongside each hopper D and having its lower end in register with the corresponding charging hole A, when the lorry car is in position to charge a coking ch'amber. The discharge end of the corresponding discharger trough E extends into each standpipe I, through an opening I in its wall. Advantageously, and as shown, each stand-pipe I is provided at its lower end with a vertically adjust able sleeve or section K in telescopic relation with the body of the stand-pipe. Each sleeve "K is adapted to be raised from or lowered into the position shown in Fig. 3, by the oscillation of a shaft K: carrying a counter-weighted lever K, to one arm of which the corresponding sleeve K is link connected. As shown, the sleeve sections K I for the four difierent stand-pipes are connected The latter to a common operating shaft K. extends through the control cab and is-provided therein with an operating arm K for raising and lowering the sleeves K. In its lowered position, each sleeve K engages the top of the battery structure at the margin of the corresponding charging hole A.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, each stand-pipe I has-mounted within it a gate member J connected through a counter-balanced lever J to a shaft 5, which may be rotated to swing the gate J into position in which it extends across the normally open end E of the corresponding trough E. The gates J are intended primarily to close the end of the discharge trough when the vibratory dischargers are not in operation, but are being subiected to a jarring actionby a movement of the lorry car along the top of the battery. In general, the gates J are not needed if the troughs E are provided with regulating gates H of a character to. cut off the flow through the troughs. Whenthe gates J are employed, the two gates at each side of the control cab C may be connected to a single shaft J extending into the cab and provided with an operating arm J When, to avoid atmospheric pollution, or for other reason, it is desirable to burn the gases passing into the stand-pipes I during each ovencharging operation, each stand-pipe may be provided with suitable ignition means in the form of a pilot burner, or electric igniter I of known type. In addition, each stand-pipe may then advantageously be provided adjacent its lower end, with suitable air inlet provisions, which may take various forms. In the particular arrangement shown in Fig. 8, combustion air under pressure is supplied to each stand-pipe through a supply pipe 1 from a compressor mounted on the lorry or other suitable source of air under pressure. When combustion air under pressure is thus supplied to each stand-pipe, the latter may advantageously iii) be provided with burner or mixer means I of any usual or suitable form including provisions for discharging a jet of combustion air in such mannor as to effect an intimate mixture of the air with the combustible gases entering the stand pipe at its lower end.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the trough E" of the vibratory discharger EA is shown as exactly horizontal-it will operate if upwardly inclined-and the vibratory discharger EA is shown as including two power elements GA, each of which may be like the previously described element G.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the pivoted gate H shown in Fig. 3 is replaced by a vertical movable gate h mounted for vertical sliding movement in a guideway provided on the corresponding hopper DA. The gate is suspended through a link h from an arm h carried by a counter-weighted shaft h which may be operated from the cab exactly as is the corresponding shaft H of the construction first described.

In Fig. 6, I have illustrated diagrammatically the way in which the coal piles up in a coking chamber A beneath the difierent charging holes A in its roof, when the streams of coal flowing through the different charging holes A have the uniformity made possible by the use of the present invention. In such case, the bottoms of the valleys a at each side of the apex a of the coal pile beneath each charging hole A, may all be at substantially the same, but rising, level throughout the charging operation. With such uniform charging, there will-be a vertical stratum a of coal directly, beneath each charging hole A containing less than the average amount of relatively large coal particles, and there will then be at each side of each charging hole A, a vertical stratum a of coal including more than the average amount of relatively large coal particles. The heat required for the carbonization of each stratum a is greater, and the heat required for the carbonization of each stratum a is less, than the amount of heat required to carbonize a similar volume oi the coal charge which is of average granular composition.

With the vertical coal stratification indicated independently regulating the heating effects of the different fiues, such for example as are customarily included in a coke oven of the well known under-fired hairpin flue type. Moreover, the varying heat requirements of the different vertical charge strata may be substantially accommodated in any suitably designed coke oven having vertical heating fiues in which the levels of the burners in the different flues are arranged to efiect combustion in a portion of the length of each flue which greater in a flue which should supply a relatively large amount of heat, than in a flue which should supply a smaller amount of heat.

As those skilled in the art will understand, in handling relatively dry coal under normal operating conditions, when the various controllers G have been relatively adjusted to insure uniform'rates of charging by the different dischargers E, no further relative adjustments of those controllers will ordinarily be required, until some significant change in the character of the coal, or other practically important change in the operating conditions occur. When the ovens are charged with wet washed coal, however, the relative rates at which coal is discharged by the difdischarged by the different feeders as may be provided. For example, the rate of discharge from each lorry hopper of a multiple hopper lorry like that shown in Fig. 1, may have indicating provisions of the character shown in Fig. 7.

.With the present invention, it is not necessary that each of a plurality of individual lorry hoppers be supplied, preparatory to each charging operation with the precise amount of coal to be passed through the corresponding oven charging hole during the subsequent oven charging operation, by the corresponding vibratory discharger As previously explained the lorry hoppers may be large enough to simultaneously hold the coal needed to charge two coking chambers. Moreover, as will be apparent also, it is, with a separate vibratory discharger for each oven charging hole, not necessary to divide the lorry hopper or coal holding space, into definitely segregated portions, each supplying coal only to a corresponding single oven-charging hole. On the contrary, when conditions make it desirable, the lorry may be provided with a single coal hopper DB, as shown in Fig. 7, with a separate outlet D and associated vibratory discharger E for each of the different charging holes of an oven.

The use of a single coal hopper and an ovencharging lorry inlet instead of a separate coal hopper for each oven-charging, permits of a material reduction in the construction cost of the charging lorry. It also makes it practically feasible to increase the number of hopper outlets and vibratory dischargers E, so that the oven chambers charged may each be provided with distributed charging holes sufliciently numerous to make the usualcharge leveling operation unnecessary. and thus makes possible a correspondmg reduction in the amount of oven-charging apparatus required, and in the time and labor involved in each oven-charging operation.

When a lorry hopper is used in successively charging two or more oven chambers following each hopper loading operation, it may be practically desirable to provide means for automatically interrupting the operation of the corresponding discharger, or dischargers, E, at the end of each oven charging operation, or to directly and positively indicate to the operator that the proper amount of coal has been discharged from the hopper to complete an oven charging operation. Such control or indicating provisions, may obviously take various forms and may include actuating means responsive either to the weight of the coal discharged from the hopper to changes in the volume of the coal held in the hopper, or to some measure of the rate at which coal is being discharged from the hopper.

By way of example, I have illustrated in Fig. 7, one form of automatic control and indicating means actuated by a device responsive to the changes in the volume of coal held in a hopper, as the latter is being discharged. The means for the purpose shown in Fig. 7 comprises a hollow metallic body L adapted to rest on, and, in effect, to float on the body of coal in the hopper DB. The float L may advantageously be a hollow body of metal light enough to have no tendency to bury itself in the granular coal mass on which it rests, and heavy enough to rotate a horizontal shaft L' thereby actuating suitable indicating and control devices as the coal level in the hopper is lowered. As shown, the float L is connected by a flexible element L to a drum L secured to the shaft L. Through suitable operating connections comprising a vertical shaft L, the rotation of the shaft L' operates an indicating pointer L sweeping over a dial L so disposed as to be within the field of view of the lorry operator. As diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 7, the pointer L is arranged to close a circuit including contacts L when the amount of coal held in the lorry is reduced to a predetermined amount, as for example, by the discharge of the amount of coal forming one oven charge. The electric circuit closed when the pointer Ifi engages the contact L" may be arranged to deenergize all of the feeders E associated with the hopper DB.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, I have illustrated and described the best form of embodiment of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention, as set forth in the appended claims and that in some cases certain features of my invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A coal lorry for charging horizontal coke oven battery coking chambers each formed with a plurality of distributed top charging holes and comprismg in combination a plurality of vibratory coal dischargers, one for each of said pluing coal hopper means adapted to hold sufllcient coal to charge two oven chambers.

3. A coal lorry as specified in claim 1, in which each vibratory discharger trough extends in the longitudinal direction of the battery, and in which the coal hopper means comprises a separate outlet opening into and elongated in the direction of the length of each of said troughs.

4. A coal lorry as specified in claim 1, in which the coal hopper means comprises a separate hopper for each of said plurality of top charging holes, and in which each hopper has a bottom outlet opening elongated in the direction of the battery and extending into the trough of the corresponding vibratory discharger.

5. A coal lorry as specified in claim 1, in which the coal hopper means comprises a hopper having a plurality of discharge outlets, and in which an individual vibratory discharger is associated with each of said outlets.

6. A coal lorry as specified in claim 1, comprising a plurality of open-ended stand-pipes, each mounted relative to a corresponding vibratory coal discharger to have its lower end in register with a corresponding oven charging hole during each coal charging operation, and each formed with a lateral opening through which the discharge end of the discharge trough of the corresponding vibratory discharger extends.

7. A coal lorry for charging horizontal coke oven coking chambers each formed with a plurality of distributed top charging holes and comprising a carriage structure and a plurality of stand-pipes so mounted on said structure that when said lorry is in position to charge an oven chamber, each stand-pipe is in register with a corresponding charging hole of said chamber, each stand-pipe having a lower lateral inlet, and a separate vibratory coal discharger associated with and passing coal laterally into each standpipe and including an actuating motor regulable to vary the rate at which the discharger passes coal into said pipe.

8. A coal lorry for charging horizontal coke oven coking chambers each formed with a plurality of distributed top charging holes and comprising a carriage structure and a plurality of stand-pipes so mounted on said structure that when said lorry is in position to charge an oven ch'amber, each stand-pipe is in register with a corresponding charging hole of said chamber, each stand-pipe having a lower lateral inlet. a separate vibratory coal discharger associated with and passing coal laterally into each standpipe, and means for supplying combustion air to each stand-pipe for the ignition in the latter of combustible gases therein.

9. A coal lorry for charging horizontal coke oven coking chambers each formed with a plurality of distributed top charging holes and comprising a carriage structure and a plurality of stand-pipes so mounted on said structure that when said lorry is in position to charge an oven chamber, each stand-pipe is in register with a corresponding charging hole of the oven, each stand-pipe having a lower lateral inlet, a separate vibratory coal discharger which is associated with and passes coal laterally into each Stand-pipe, and air and gas mixing means located in the lower portion of each stand-pipe, and means for supplying combustion air to said mixing means.

10. A coal lorry for charging horizontal coke oven coking chambers each formed with a plurality of distributed top charging holes and comprising a carriage structure and a plurality of stand-pipes so mounted on said structure that when said lorry is in position to charge an oven chamber, each stand-pipe is in register with a corresponding charging hole of the oven, each stand-pipe having a lower lateral inlet, a separate vibratory coal discharger which is associated with and passes coal laterally into each stand-pipe and ignition means in each standpipe for igniting combustible gas entering the stand-pipe through the subjacent charging hole in an oven charging operation.

11. A coal lorry as specified in claim 7, in which each stand-pipe comprises a vertically adjustable telescopic section at its lower end and common means for raising and lowering said telescopic sections of the difierent stand-pipes.

12. A coal lorry as specified in claim 1, comprising a control cab and controllers therein for separately regulating the operation of the different vibratory dischargers.

13. A coal lorry as specified in claim 1, including means adjustable to prevent the discharge of coal through the different discharge troughs.

14. A coal lorry as specified in claim 1, comprising an adjustable gate associated with each discharge troughand adjustable to regulate the cross sectional area of the coal stream discharged through said trough when the corresponding vibratory discharger is in operation.

15. A coal lorry as specified in claim 1, including indicating means responsive to changes in the amount of coal held in the lorry coal hopper means.

16. A coal lorry as specified in claim 1, including vibratory discharger control means responsive to changes in the amount of coal held in the lorry coal hopper means. 

